Abstract
Cognitive reserve (CR) is a protective mechanism that supports sustained cognitive function following damage to the physical brain associated with age, injury, or disease. The goal of the research was to identify relationships between age, CR, and brain connectivity. A sample of 90 cognitively normal adults, ages 45–64 years, had their resting-state brain activity recorded with electroencephalography (EEG) and completed a series of memory and executive function assessments. CR was estimated using years of education and verbal IQ scores. Participants were divided into younger and older age groups and low- and high-CR groups. We observed greater left- than right-hemisphere coherence in younger participants, and greater right- than left-hemisphere coherence in older participants. In addition, greater coherence was observed under eyes-closed than eyes-open recording conditions for both low-CR and high-CR participants, with a more substantial difference between recording conditions in individuals high in CR regardless of age. Finally, younger participants low in CR exhibited greater mean coherence than younger participants high in CR, whereas the opposite pattern was observed in older participants, with greater coherence in older participants high in CR. Together, these findings suggest the possibility of a shift in the relationship between CR and brain connectivity during aging.
Highlights
Maintaining cognitive function is essential to achieve a high quality of life during the transition into older age
The goal of the present research was to identify differences in resting-state EEG coherence associated with Cognitive reserve (CR) level and age in adults, ages 45–64 years
Global coherence differences emerged between age groups for left- versus right-hemisphere connectivity and between CR groups for eyes-closed versus eyes-open recording conditions
Summary
Maintaining cognitive function is essential to achieve a high quality of life during the transition into older age. In a recent review of animal studies that examined the effects of enriched housing on brain reserve, Gelfo et al (2017) highlighted the ability of enriched environments to increase levels of neurogenesis and synaptogenesis in the brain, thereby enhancing the brain’s potential for plasticity. Both CR and brain reserve are thought to influence the resilience of the individual to age-related and clinical decline (see Stern, 2002; Medaglia et al, 2017)
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